Post-award-show interviews are a requisite for most celebrity attendees, but the folks at “Jimmy Kimmel Live” are well aware that at that point in the evening, everyone would much rather be partying than chatting up some journalist.

That’s why Jimmy Kimmel started sending his sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez to awards shows to conduct his signature-style “Back to Back” interviews, which is exactly what it sounds like: The Mexican-born Guillermo interviews famous folks like Bryan Cranston and Ariana Grande while sitting in director’s chairs facing away from each other.

Armed with tequila, elementary-school instruments and an indecipherable accent, Guillermo showed up at Sunday’s American Music Awards to chat up some of the evening’s notable guests. The former security guard kicked things off with New Artist of the Year winners 5 Seconds of Summer, who were immediately stumped by the Thanksgiving-appropriate question “What are you thankful for?” Read More »

Earlier this month, in the middle of their CMA performance, country artists Little Big Town welcomed pop sensation Ariana Grande onstage to deliver a rendition of her single “Bang Bang.” But despite a full drum line backing the both musical acts and the added visual excitement of LED-light-lined outfits, as Speakeasy initially reported, the performance was, while not bad, more head-scratching than anything else.

Last night on the American Music Awards, the peculiar CMAs match-up was quickly forgotten as Grande, this time rightfully joined by fellow “Bang Bang” singers Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, hit the stage, with all three ladies sheathed in gold, to nail a rollicking edition of the hit song. Read More »

The 2014 American Music Award nominations were released this morning and they’re looking rather “fancy,” with Iggy Azalea leading the charge.

The breakout Australian rapper scored six nominations, including Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, and Single of the Year. Following right behind her with five nominations are Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams and John Legend. Rising pop-star Lorde also nabbed four nominations.

Unlike the other music-based award shows, the American Music Awards is purely fan driven and gives awards out based on fan votes. This year’s Artist of the Year category has expanded from five artists to 10, and includes heavy-hitters like country artist Luke Bryan, Beyonce,Imagine Dragons and One Direction. Single of the Year has also expanded from three nominees to five and includes a who’s who of radio dominators like Magic!‘s “Rude,” Perry’s “Dark Horse,” Azalea’s “Fancy” and Pharrell’s “Happy.”

Now in its 42nd iteration, the American Music Awards will take place on November 23 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles and broadcast on ABC. Last year’s coveted prize of Artist of the Year was won by Taylor Swift and featured performances from many of this year’s nominees, including One Direction, Perry, and Imagine Dragons.

These were the American Music Awards, never the high point of televised trophy-tossing tastefulness to begin with. But as the Cirque du Sayonara spectacle of Katy Perry’s opening number unfurled, my jaw slowly dropped until it nearly rested against my collarbone.

There was Perry, in full kimono, tabi socks, lacquered hair and geiko pancake, belting out her latest smash hit. Her traditional outfit had been tightened at the bust with a triangular cutout designed to accentuate rather than flatten her generous bosom, and the sides cut to the waist to expose her pearlescent American legs. And she was surrounded by a throng of acrobatic maiko, their faces rollered with fat streaks of kabuki makeup, who provided energetic fan-flapping as backup — at least until they started flying and somersaulting through the air.

In short, this was a a full-barreled technicolor assault on a quarter-millennium-old set of traditions that would’ve given any self-respecting denizen of Kyoto’s Gion District a massive fatal heart attack. But Perry’s whiteface/yellowface performance was also a harsh reminder of how deeply anchored the archetype of the exotic, self-sacrificing “lotus blossom” is in the Western imagination. Read More »

Stars such as Justin Bieber (who won the Artist of the Year award) and Christina Aguilera came out to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the American Music Awards. Pastel tones and metallic dresses dominated the red carpet.

Look at the slideshow after the jump to see which celebrities were the best and worst dressed at this year’s AMAs. Read More »

Get ready for a little bit of pop, a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll and a whole lot of crazy fashion this Sunday, when the 2012 American Music Awards will be broadcasted live on ABC. This year’s expected guests include music icon Stevie Wonder, South Korean singer Psy, and fashionistas Rihanna and Taylor Swift among others.

In celebration of the Awards’ 40th anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the past fashion hits and misses from the AMA. Read More »

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.